Crash Test Shows Two Decades of Safety Technology

Crash Test Shows Two Decades of Safety Technology

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Smith Law Office

A new crash video from the Euro New Car Assessment Program shows just how far we’ve come in car safety technology. The video simulates car accidents in two popular European vehicles: A 1997 Rover 100 – one of the most popular cars in England at the time – and a 2015 Honda Jazz – the European version of the Honda Fit.

The results of the video speak for themselves. While the video involved European cars, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t say a lot about American vehicles.

Similar Vehicles in a Similar Car Accident

The crash test compared two vehicles that were similarly used and priced: Both the Jazz and the Rover 100 are compact, hatchback vehicles with multiple airbags in the same price range. Both were popular as commuter vehicles in Europe – the Rover was widespread on England’s roads when it came out, while the Jazz is a popular ride, now.

Both the Rover 100 and the Jazz were put through the same serious type of car accident – a head-on collision on the driver’s side of the vehicle at 40 mph. The differences between how the two vehicles handled it, though, were staggering, and showcase how far safety technology has come in the past two decades.

Video Shows Development in Car Safety Technology

In the Jazz, even though the frontal collision happened on the driver’s side of the vehicle, all of the airbags deployed, including the passenger’s airbag and the side airbags. This cushioned everyone inside during the crash in a bubble of protection. In the Rover, on the other hand, only the driver’s airbag deployed, leaving the passenger and the person in the back seat unprotected.

What was less visible but more important, though, was how differently the two cars absorbed the impact. The Jazz has crumple zones in the front of the vehicle that are designed to fold together. This absorbs most of the force of the collision. While it means that the engine compartment of the Jazz gets destroyed, by the time the force of the crash gets to the driver and passenger, very little damage can be done. The interior is left, more or less, intact after the crash.

The Rover 100 didn’t have crumple zones. Instead of folding in during the head-on collision like an accordion, the engine compartment gets jammed into the cabin and into the driver and passenger. The injuries that this would have caused would have been serious ones.

St. Joseph Car Accident Attorneys at the Smith Law Office

Car accidents can still be life-changing events. Not only can they put you in a severe financial predicament without a car but, if they’re serious enough, they can cause serious personal injuries. These might lead to a significant amount of recovery time and lots of medical bills.

Getting compensated for your injuries and losses is important, especially if you were not the one who caused the crash. That is why the personal injury lawyers at the Smith Law Office represent car accident victims in the St. Joseph area. Contact us online or at (816) 875-9373.